Tasty Tokens: Cinnamon Granola

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts


Directions

In a bowl, stir butter, honey, cinnamon and salt until well blended.

Combine the oats, coconut and walnuts in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan.

Add butter mixture and stir to coat evenly.

Bake at 275 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes.

Cool, stirring occasionally. Store in an airtight container.

Tasty Tokens: OOEY GOOEY Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

8 ounce semisweet chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon espresso
1/4 cup boiled water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup JUMBO semi-sweet chocolate chips (get the regular ones if you must but then you'll only get gooey instead of ooey gooey...IJS)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Lightly grease muffin pans, or use paper liners.

Dissolve the espresso in hot water, and set aside.

Over a double boiler over low heat, melt the semisweet chocolate together with the butter and buttermilk. Add the dissolved espresso, and let stand until cooled, about 10 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg. In a small bowl, stir together the melted chocolate mixture with the sugar, egg, and vanilla, until blended well.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour the chocolate mixture into the well, and stir until just combined.  The resulting mixture may have lumps, and that's ok. Do not over mix the batter or else you will have tough muffins.

Gently stir in the mini chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups.  Fill the muffin cups just below the edge.

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove muffin tin from oven and let stand at least 10 minutes in the tin. Place the muffins on a wire rack and allow to cool completely (if you can wait). Serve warm or cooled; can be frozen as well and reheated in a toaster oven or microwave! When you bite into this chocolaty goodness you'll fall in OOEY GOOEY LOVE!

Serves 10

(I will display the OOEY GOOINESS of these muffins on my next go 'round with them!)

Tasty Tokens: Lollipop Cookies

Ingredients
12 REESE'S Peanut Butter Pumpkins (1.2 oz. ea.)*
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Wooden ice lollipop sticks

Icing
Pastry bags with decorating tips
Small candy garnishes for eyeballs (optional)

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from desired number of peanut butter pumpkins. (Recipe will make up to 34 pumpkin lollipop cookies.) Set aside.


Beat butter, sugar and peanut butter in large bowl until smooth and well blended. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to peanut butter mixture, beating until blended.


For each pumpkin lollipop shape 1 level tablespoon dough (about 1/2 oz. dough or #70 scoop) into ball. Place about 6 balls spaced about three inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Insert wooden stick about three-fourths of the way into side of each ball. Flatten balls into oblong disks about 1-1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch high. 


Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until cookie is set and edges are golden brown. Cool 4 minutes. Gently press unwrapped pumpkin on surface of cookie. (Pumpkin bottom will melt enough that it will stick to cookie when cool.) Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. (Do not attempt to pick up cookie by the stick until cookie is cool and chocolate pumpkin has set up. Bake any extra dough following above directions. Cookies can be baked with or without sticks and decorated if desired.)


Prepare icing. Decorate pumpkins as desired with prepared icing and garnishes. e icing to "glue" small candies or garnishes to pumpkins. Allow icing to harden. (If you don't like the design or parts of the design, wait until the icing has hardened and then you can remove without damaging the surface of the pumpkin.) Store decorated cookies in a cool, dry place. About 34 cookies.

*

 If using snack size (.6 oz.) pumpkins decrease dough ball to 1 teaspoon and bake 8 minutes.

 *

Icing: Stir together 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons warm water and 1 tablespoon pasteurized dried egg whites (meringue powder). Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until spreadable. Add additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if too thick. Divide icing into small bowls for each color desired and tint with food colorings. Transfer icing to pastry bags with desired tip. Cover icings and tips of pastry bags with damp paper towels to keep icing from drying out. (Some icing garnishes may need a firmer icing to hold their shape. Stir in small amounts of additional powdered sugar to get the desired consistency.) 1 cup icing.

Adapted from: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes-by-occasion/137/Halloween.aspx

Tasty Token: Apple Spice Muffin

Ingredients
Muffin:
1-1/2 cups Old Fashion oatmeal, pulsed in a food processor
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1 cup half and half
2 apples - peeled, cored, and shredded

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup brown sugar

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 stick butter, cubed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 2-six muffin cup tins or line with paper muffin liners.

Soak oatmeal in half and half for 30 minutes.

Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon.  Whisk in the brown sugar.

Mix in oil, egg, oatmeal-milk mixture. Fold in apples. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour wet ingredients into well and mix until just moistened.  Do not over mix or else the muffins will not be moist.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 of the way.

Topping: In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon. Mix together with fork and sprinkle over unbaked muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Tasty Tokens: Double Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients
8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon espresso

1/2 cup boiled water
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Lightly grease muffin pans, or use paper liners.

Over a double boiler over low heat, melt the semisweet chocolate squares together with the butter and 1/2 cup of half and half. Dissolve the espresso in hot water and add to the melted chocolate.  Let stand until cooled, about 10 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg. In a small bowl, stir together the melted chocolate with 1/2 cup half and half, sugar, egg, and vanilla, until blended well.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour the wet chocolate mixture into the well, and stir until just combined.

Gently stir in the mini chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups.

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove muffin tin from oven and let stand at least 10 minutes in the tin. Let them cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cooled; can be frozen as well.